Excerpts from the open letter:

During the last federal election, the now-governing Liberal Party committed to introduce a 'Quebec-style' child care system across Canada. This was welcome news for Canada's children, and certainly long overdue. Canada's economy is strong, we continue to have a steady stream of budget surpluses, and we can well afford this important social initiative.

We expect you to enter into the November 1 and 2 meetings with the leadership, vision and commitment to bring home a pan-Canadian child care plan….

[W]e're seeking a strong "Commitment to Action", with clear and measurable outcomes, in these federal/provincial/territorial meetings. First, we expect all participants to support the development of a legislative framework for child care that enshrines the five key principles of quality, universality, accessibility, developmental programming and inclusion. We also need to see a timetable for the introduction of this legislative framework.